Joe Johnston

Liberty Market set to open in Gilbert

Second Helpings

In a Slather

Second Helpings

Rocketeer Jerker

What goes up ultimately comes down in less-than-stellar October Sky

Castro Overthrown

Cuban cuisine on Camelback

Liberty Market: The East Valley’s Answer to La Grande Orange

Cuban cuisine on Camelback

Worth the Drive

Hidden jewel in a master-planned community

Bush Comes to Shove

Like America's current leaders, Viggo and Hidalgo try to "enlighten" the Arabs with Western justice

Leapin' Lizards!

The dinosaurs are jumping, but the story isn't, in Jurassic Park III

The Jungle in There

The dinosaurs are jumping, but the story isn't, in Jurassic Park III

Wednesday: Free BBQ at Joe's in Gilbert

With all the awards that Joe's Real BBQ has stacked up, the place could easily coast on its own fine reputation. But that's just not how owner Joe Johnston operates. Instead, he makes a point to host an annual Free Day, dishing up gratis plates of the barbecue that made him a local personality. ... More >>

Will Joe's Real BBQ Appear on Regis and Kelly?

Although the French Open preempted this morning's episode of Live! with Regis and Kelly on the local TV affiliate, Joe Johnston's Gilbert restaurant, Joe's Real BBQ, still got national airtime for the TV show's Ultimate Hometown Grill-Off. The good news? Joe's made it to the next round in th ... More >>

Free Drinks on E-61 Espresso Machine's 45th Birthday

Joe JohnstonThe FAEMA E-61 espresso machine at the E-61 Espresso Bar in Liberty Market.The FAEMA E-61 was a revolution in espresso when it was presented in 1961. It represented the sleek design ushered in with the 60s -- and introduced the new technology that made espresso better for good. Today, t ... More >>

A Month of Crazy Hot Dogs at Joe's Farm Grill

For most people I know, hot dogs are usually an occasional indulgence -- maybe a dog with the works and a huge beer at a baseball game, a Nogales dog when the mood strikes, or hot dogs on the grill on a lazy Sunday by the pool. But Joe's Farm Grill has come up with 14 good reasons to eat hot dogs pr ... More >>

Home, Tweet Home: Jeff Moriarty Is Trying to Create a Cultural Identity for Phoenix, 140 Characters at a Time

For most people I know, hot dogs are usually an occasional indulgence -- maybe a dog with the works and a huge beer at a baseball game, a Nogales dog when the mood strikes, or hot dogs on the grill on a lazy Sunday by the pool. But Joe's Farm Grill has come up with 14 good reasons to eat hot dogs pr ... More >>

Chef Talk: David Traina, Liberty Market

Heather Hoch Chef David Traina in front of his big wood-burning pizza oven.​Chef David Traina seems very relaxed in his restaurant Liberty Market, which is surprising because the Gilbert hotspot opened just over a year ago. It's safe to say that his hospitable nature is the key to his succe ... More >>

Today: Joe's Farm Grill Hosts Free Hamburger Day

​There's no doubt that Joe's Farm Grill is already a southeast Valley destination. Owner Joe Johnston converted his old family farmhouse into a Jetson-worthy burger joint, and the relaxing setting is a welcome reprieve from the city. But a free hamburger? That's even more reason to visit. He ... More >>

Read This: Joe Johnston's Roaster Project Blog

​If you consider yourself a card-carrying coffee geek -- or, as restaurateur Joe Johnston would put it, a "disciple" of the "true gospel of coffee" -- then you need to bookmark Johnston's excellent new blog, Roaster Project. But even if you don't consider yourself a java expert or even drink ... More >>

D’Vine Bistro and Wine Bar in East Mesa Isn’t Worth the D’rive

​If you consider yourself a card-carrying coffee geek -- or, as restaurateur Joe Johnston would put it, a "disciple" of the "true gospel of coffee" -- then you need to bookmark Johnston's excellent new blog, Roaster Project. But even if you don't consider yourself a java expert or even drink ... More >>

Joe's Real BBQ to Offer Breakfast on Weekends

​There's much not to like about summers in the Valley. The 120-degree temperatures that turn your vehicle's interior into a blast furnace. Aerial shots of the thrice-weekly walls of dust generated by the monsoon. The lamentable way the Arizona Diamondbacks play baseball. But here's someth ... More >>

Next Week: Artisan Thursday at Liberty Market

​Liberty Market, in downtown Gilbert, is the kind of place where food lovers find any excuse to stop by, even when they live in other parts of the Valley. A sip of espresso, a bite of pizza, maybe some breakfast -- this is the kind of place you could visit any time of day. Craving a cortadito ... More >>

BBQ Battle, Dinner & a Movie, Tapas Classes and Jellied Tongue in Today's Eater's Digest

www.nopatternrequired.com​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Weekend Time!No plans for the weekend? We have a couple ideas to get you off the couch, outta the house and filling your belly with some tasty eats. Always wanted to host your ow ... More >>

Joe's Farm Grill Introduces Dog Days of Summer for September

The 3-B: bacon, blue cheese, and Joe's Real BBQ sauce​Don't panic, hot dog lovers. You have all month to enjoy ten different varieties of specialty hot dogs that Joe's Farm Grill is rolling out today.The hip Gilbert hangout started its "Dog Days of Summer" menu last year with a rotating lineup of ... More >>

Cook It Up

Foodies take to the kitchen for a tasty competition

Foodie Fight 2 Brings Out Local Luminaries This Saturday

​Several months ago, foodie-about-town and marketing/PR agency owner Ty Largo (shown at left) challenged his friend and fellow food geek/blogger Joel LaTondress (shown below, at right, he's also known as the Yelper who incited ABC Baking Co. owner Amy Bouzaglo's epic tangent, which got Chow B ... More >>

4: Griddled Bread Pudding at Liberty Market

Jamie Mulhern Hungry yet? We're working up our appetites for our huge Best of Phoenix issue, out September 30, with daily servings of Chow Bella's 100 Favorite Dishes from across the Valley -- in no particular order. Visit our sister blog, Jackalope Ranch, for a compa ... More >>

Terrain: Dangerous Turf for Foodies and Design Fans

​Leave it to Joe Johnston, local tastemaker extraordinaire, to casually Tweet about a cool new website that's suddenly become my time-suck/online shopping obsession of the moment: Terrain. It's a home, garden, and gift store from the evil geniuses at Anthropologie, where I have a weakness for ... More >>

Liberty Market: Lunch $10 & Under

​Locals always complain about Phoenix's lack of a solid identity as if it's a bad thing. Hey, where else can you see a skyscraper, a haute couture boutique and a working farm, all in the span of an hour? We have everything here. When we're clamoring for the old-school charm of a neighbor ... More >>

Phoenix Eaterati Dish on Their Fave Foods of 2010

Joe Johnston Restaurateur Joe Johnston's perfect sandwich of 2010.​ What was the best thing you ate in 2010? I asked around with a handful of Phoenix food lovers, and they were split down the middle. For some, the answer was easy and obvious, a singular work of gastronomic perfec ... More >>

Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza Plans Barrio Cafe in Gilbert

Silvana Salcido Esparza is taking Barrio Cafe to the 'burbs. ​One of the most highly acclaimed chefs in Arizona is about to open a second restaurant -- and the location is the burbs, not the barrio.   Silvana Salcido Esparza -- chef-owner of Barrio Cafe and current nominee-in ... More >>

Snag a FREE Meal at Joe's Real BBQ Next Wednesday

​The word "FREE" is the Holy Grail of any culinary giveaway. Of course, "FREE" usually comes with some caveat like "buy one, get one free" or "free dessert with entree purchase." Not so with Joe's Real BBQ, the award-winning barbecue joint in the heart of downtown Gilbert. Next Wednes ... More >>

Phoenix Farmers Who Tweet

This week in our Follow Friday feature, we're highlighting a few of the Phoenix farmers who tweet all about the blood sweat tears of food production in the desert. http://www.causematters.com/wp-content/uploads/CoverArt_Farmers.jpg​Superstition Farm (@superfarm) The Mesa-based dairy farm tweets ... More >>

Summer Guide: Movies

This week in our Follow Friday feature, we're highlighting a few of the Phoenix farmers who tweet all about the blood sweat tears of food production in the desert. http://www.causematters.com/wp-content/uploads/CoverArt_Farmers.jpg​Superstition Farm (@superfarm) The Mesa-based dairy farm tweets ... More >>

Plasma Cutting A Coffee Roaster, Texas Sheet Cake and A Salmon Lunch Bento

A round-up of tasty morsels from Valley food blogs. Acme Metal WorksTom Eckholdt uses a plasma cutter to separate the roasting bowl from the upper ring​We've been enjoying following Joe Johnston's love affair with coffee via his online documentary, The Roaster Project. His latest post shares the ... More >>

Captain America Ignores Its Roots for Easy Money

A round-up of tasty morsels from Valley food blogs. Acme Metal WorksTom Eckholdt uses a plasma cutter to separate the roasting bowl from the upper ring​We've been enjoying following Joe Johnston's love affair with coffee via his online documentary, The Roaster Project. His latest post shares the ... More >>

Joe Johnston's Perfect Food Day

Joe JohnstonCindy, Johnston's "lovely Lebanese wife" and Joe Johnston​ If you've ever seen the Joe's Real BBQ logo, you'll find a picture of a man fully decked out in a fedora, button up shirt and tie, wire rimmed glasses and the apron representing his ability to get his hands dirty -- that's Joe ... More >>

Sundaes and an Unfortunate "Cheesecake" Experience at Joe's Farm Grill

Joe's Farm Grill is known for doing food right. But, are they worthy of being on our list of places to order dessert first? We'll just come right out and say it: their dessert is generic and gets none of the TLC that Joe's is known for.

Smarty Rants

Joe's Farm Grill is known for doing food right. But, are they worthy of being on our list of places to order dessert first? We'll just come right out and say it: their dessert is generic and gets none of the TLC that Joe's is known for.

Liberty Market To Host Five-Course, "Fast Food" Feast

​Leave it to Liberty Market, the brainchild of restaurateur Joe Johnston and Gilbert's go-to for gourmet burgers, to host their last community dinner in honor of National Fast Food Day (November 16.) Starting at 6:30 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, November 21 and 22, Liberty Market will host a fiv ... More >>

Top Ten Burgers in Greater Phoenix

David LaChapelle, Death by Hamburger (2002)​You can thank the St. Louis World Fair of 1904 for being the launching pad for the hamburger as we know it (at one point, it was called the hamburger sandwich). Today, the round patty in a bun is the primary way in which the Western world consumes ... More >>

Liberty Market Community Dinner: An Ode to Gilbert's Farmers Market

​If you checked out the Gilbert Farmers Market on a recent Saturday, you might've bumped shoulders with Joe Johnston or Chef David Traina of Liberty Market - they've been shopping the aisles and chatting with vendors, compiling a casting list of ingredients that will be the star players in the yea ... More >>

Top Ten Hot Dogs in Greater Phoenix

​The connection between hot dogs and dogs, the lovable tongue-wagging pets, is thought to have come from newspaper cartoons by T.A. Dorgan around the 1900's, which portrayed talking frankfurters, also known as "dachshund sausages," because of their shape. No matter the origin of the name, hot ... More >>